Spraying device



NOV.. 4, 1939. J, FlTCH 2,179,845

SPRAYING DEVICE Filed Jan. 20, 1958 imma:

ORNEY i Ais Patented Nov. 14, 1939 UNITED STATES SPRAYING DEVICE John Fitch, New York, N. Y., assgnory to ,Standard Container, Inc., Bloomfield, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application January 20,1938, serial N02. 185,808

l Claims.

This invention relates to spraying devices of the character used for the distribution of liquid insecticides or other materials, and particularly to a type of sprayer which is combined with, or built in, an insecticide can or similar receptacle,

an example of such a structure being disclosed in the co-pending application of William Martin Vogel, Serial No. 182,156, filed December 28, 1937.

In a structure of this character, wherein the sprayer is located within the body of the can and is surrounded by the liquid contents of the can, any unusual pressure imposed on the sides of the can by the hands of the user, tends to flex the walls of the can inwardly. Such inward flexure of the can Walls causes the liquid in the can to be shifted toward the spray openings of the sprayer and possibly ejected therefrom in spurts or streams. It is therefore desirable that means be provided by which the ejection of the liquid contents of the can in spurts or streams from the spray opening by pressure imposed on the sides of the can, be prevented.

The present invention therefore, has for one of its objects the provision of a built-in sprayer of the character described wherein means are provided by which accidental spurting of the can contents from the spray opening will be effectively prevented. Other objects of the invention are to simplify the` structure of this type of sprayer; to improve the eiciency of the spraying operation; to prevent wastage of the liquid contents and to generally provide a wholly satisfactory combined container and sprayer.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein several embodiments of the invention are shown, Fig. 1 is a sectional view through a combined can and sprayer made in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional View of a modified structure; Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows; and Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a further modification.

With reference to the structure shown in Fig. 1, the body of a can or similar receptacle is shown at Land the same may be of any suitable form and size convenient to be held in one hand while the built-in sprayer is operated with the other hand. A can of `approxinfiately quart size has been found convenient. In the form shown, the body of the can is substantially rectangular in cross sectional shape. Seamed to the upper end of the body I in the conventional manner is the top 2 and similarly secured to the lower end of the body is the bottom 3. The top is provided with the conventional filler opening 4 adaptedto be normally closed by the threadon `cap 5 or any other suitable seal, which can be made removable, or it canbe permanent, once the can has been filled with the insecticide.

The bottom 3 is formed with a circular opening surrounded by the slightly elevated ange 6, saidiiange being seamed to the flanged end I of a conical` plug-receptacle 8. Receptacle 8 is internallythreaded at 9 near its inner or upper end, thethreads 8 receiving the complementary threads l formed on a conical closure plug Il which enters into and closes receptacle 8, and

which, when unthreaded from its engagement"` ,with the threads 9is11sed as the operating handle of the sprayer. Said plug II is secured to one end of a' piston rod I2 movable through an aperture I3 formed in the inner end or wall I4 of the conical receptacle 8.

lSecured on thefotherend of the rod l2 is a piston I5 ofthe kind conventionally employed in vspraying devices, said piston being mounted for reciprocation in a piston chamber or cylinder i8, which isattached to and has its lower end closed by the receptacle 8, and which extends vertically upward through the can to a position near the top of the can. It will be obvious that as the rod I2 is reciprocated by means of the attached'plug I I, serving as a manipulating handle, the piston will be'moved back and forth in the cylinder I6.

The upper end of the cylinder I6 is closed by a circular head plate I1 formed with a centrally located, depressed -portion I8, which forms a chamber for adisc V2l) constituting a Valve, the primary object` fwhich is to govern the rate of airflow from cylinderl to the air blast and ,Y spray openings. The upper end of the chamber thus provided is closed bythe'cupped disc 2l. The bottom of,Y chamber I8 v'is formed with an opening I9 while a similar opening 22 is provided in the cupped disc 2|.l Secured to and rising from the member I'I is a cap 26 which has its upper portion projecting through and ristop 24a of the cup 23 is spaced away from the top 29 of the cap 26. The top 24a is formed with an air blast opening 24, while a spray opening 29 is formed in the top 29 of the cap 23. Holes or openings 24 and 28 are disaligned, such an arrangement having been found to greatly improve the spraying operation by regulation of the rate of flow of the air and liquid through the openings and result in a finely diffused spray. If desired, several spray openings may be formed in portion 29.

Projecting laterally from the side wall of the cap 26 and located within the body of the can I, is a valve chamber 30, the inner end of which is provided with the opening or hole 33, the outer end of said chamber having the hole or opening 32. A disc-shaped valve 3| is loosely disposed in the chamber 30 and is arranged to seatover and cover one or the other of the openings 32 or 33 according to pressure imposed upon it, as will be presently explained.

When the can isv sold, it is substantially full of the insecticide or other liquid adapted to be sprayed, which at that time surrounds cylinder I6 and can pass valve 3| to thereby gain access to and saturate the felt or other absorbent material 25. The sprayer is operated by removing such closure member as may be employed to cover the top of can 26 to thereby uncover the spray opening 28; plug II is unthreaded from its engagement with the threads 9 and the piston is reciprocated in cylinder I6, the plug II forming a convenient piston-operating handle. In operating the sprayer, the can is held tilted, or with the cylinder I6 horizontal, or in any other convenient position to cause the liquid contents of the can to flow by gravity toward the absorbent material and pass through openings 32 and 33 to saturate the absorbent material. As the piston is reciprocated, disc-valve 3| will move back and forth in its chamber 3| with a vibrating or fluttering action, this action tending-to Vdraw liquid then gathered around chamber 30into the valve chamber and through opening 33 tosaturate the absorbent material 25.

The piston directs an air blast through openings I 9 and 22, the disc-valve 20 retarding the `air blast, but not preventing its passage, and

through the air blast vopening 24. On passing Vthrough the air blast opening 24, the blast of -air impinges against the inner face of topl 29 1 and 28 has been found to regulate the flow of air and liquid out of the sprayer and itrenders the spraying action exceedingly effective.

f Should the walls of the can body I be exed while the can is being handled or shipped, the shifting of the liquid contents will of course occur under such pressure. However, the pressure of the liquid contents of the can applied against the disc-valve 3| through opening 32 will cause said valve to be seated over the inner opening 33, and thus a sufficient amount of the liquid will not be able to reach the absorb- 4ent material 25 nor spray opening 38 in such quantity as to cause a spurting action out through the spray opening 28.

In'the modied structure shown in Fig. 2, a cylindrical casing 38 is secured to and rises above the cylinder closure I1, said casing extending around a concentrically disposed tube 5U which has its upper endjoined to the can top 2, and

partition 55.

,operative with respect to the opening or hole 43 in the bottom member or plate 40 of the valve chamber and also with the hole 44 in the top of casing 38. Located between the plate 40 and the top of closure member II is an annular lling 39 of absorbent felt or similar material. Tube 50 is formed with one or more openings communicating with the absorbent filling, one of said openings being shown at 49. Upon reciprocation of the piston the air blast ypassing through opening 22 and entering tube 50 will draw moisture from the absorbent material through opening 49 forcing a spray out through f the openings 41 and 45. A vent opening 46 is also preferably, but not necessarily formed in Disc-valve 4I operates similarly to that shown at 3| in Fig. l, and previously described.

In Fig. 4 a simplied, but thoroughly satisfactory structure is shown wherein a cap 34, secured to cylinder-closure member II and projecting out through the top 2 of the can, contains a lling of loosely-packed absorbent mate-.`

rial 36, such as felt or the like, which is saturated by the liquid contents of the can in the manner explained withv respect to the structure of Fig. 1. Inthe structure of Fig. 4 cupped member 2| is provided with an air tube 42 extending angularly upward through the member 34 and having its free end cut angularly as disclosed at 31 and positioned adjacent to the top of member 34, said top having the centrally disposed spray The air blast passing out of the.

opening 35. angular end31 of tube 42 is charged with the moisture in the absorbent material 35 and delivers rit out through the spray opening 35 in a finely diffused spray. Since the end of the air tube 42 is disaligned with respect to the spray as that secured with the structure of Fig. 1 wherein a similar disaligned arrangement of air blast and spray openings is present. The structure of Fig. 4 includes a valve arrangement similar to that shown in Fig. 1.

The valve arrangements of the several structures described not only prevent spurting or undesirable ejection of the liquid in a stream by manual compression of the side walls of the 'can, but the same also act to prevent air pres-` sure from being built up within the body of the can to such an extent as to damage the can should thepiston bereciprocated to any great extent while a closure cap is in position over the spray opening. With a valve, such as shown' at 3| and 4I, the valve will seat over opening 32 or 44 respectively, when pumping occurs with a vclosure cap in position over the spray opening,

and thus damage to the can by pressure produced within itv cannot occur.

What I claim is:

1., A can for containing a liquid adapted to be sprayed, a sprayer located within and surrounded by the bodyof the can, said sprayer including y 75 vr,5o opening 35, the effect here obtained is the same' a cylinder having one end secured at the bottom of the can and its other end located adjacent to the top of the can, closure means for the upper end of the cylinder, said closure means including a chamber containing an absorbent material saturated with liquid from the contents of the can, a tubular member communicating with the cylinder and provided with an air blast opening, said tubular member being disposed within the chamber, the chamber having a spray opening disaligned with the air blast opening.

2. A can for containing a liquid adapted to be sprayed, a spraying device located within the can and including a cylinder and piston mounted for reciprocation therein, said spraying device having a spray nozzle disposed at the outside of the can, said nozzle including concentrically disposed inner and outer members forming an annular chamber between them, said chamber containing an absorbent material, the inner member having an end formed with an air blast opening located adjacent to the outer end of the outer member, said outer member having a spray opening in its outer end, and a valve chamber having a wall portion apertured to cornmunicate with the absorbent material, said chamber having an outer wall portion apertured to communicate with the interior of the can, and a disc valve located within said chamber and adapted to seat over either of said apertures according to liquid and air pressure imposed upon it.

3. A can body for containing a liquid to be sprayed, a sprayer having a cylinder wholly contained within the can body, a piston in said cylinder, an operating handle for said piston located at one end of the can on the outside thereof, a closure member for the end oi the cylinder located remote from the operating handle, concentrically disposed cup-shaped members secured to and rising from said closure member, the outer of said members having at least a portion disposed on the outside of the can body, said members forming an annular chamber between them, an absorbent material in said chamber, valve means disposed between said chamber and the interior of the can for controlling the flow of can contents to the absorbent material in said chamber, the cup-shaped members having ends spaced from one another, the end of the inner cup-shaped member being formed with an air blast opening, the end of the outer cup-shaped member being formed with a spray opening, the air-blast opening and the spray opening being disaligned with respect to one another.

4. A can body for containing a liquid-to be sprayed, a sprayer contained within the body of the can, said sprayer including a cylinder, a piston mounted for reciprocation in said cylinder, closure means for one end of the cylinder, a chamber extending from said closure means to the exterior of the can, said chamber containing a filling of absorbent material, a valve disposed between said chamber and the interior of the can for controlling the flow of liquid from the interior of the can to said chamber, an airblast tube communicating with the cylinder and extending through the chamber and having an open end disposed near the end of the chamber, said end of the chamber provided with a spray opening.

5. A can body for containing a liquid adapted to be sprayed, a cylinder mounted within the can body, a piston mounted for reciprocation in the cylinder, concentrically disposed chambers mounted at one end of the cylinder within the can body and forming an annular space between them, said annular space containing an absorbent lling, a valve chamber formed in said annular space, said chamber including inner and outer plate portions, each of said plate portions having an aperture, an annular disc valve disposed in said chamber and adapted to seat over either of the apertures according to pressure imposed upon it, said inner and outer chambers each having spaced end plates, the plate on the outer chamber having a spray opening communicating exteriorly of the can body and the end plate of the inner chamber having an air blast opening.

6. A can for containing insecticide or other liquid adapted to be sprayed, including a spraying device having a cylinder located within the body of the can and surrounded by the liquid contents of the can, a piston mounted for reciprocation in said cylinder, a piston-operating handle located at the bottom oi the can and movable to reciprocate the piston in the cylinder, a spray nozzle located at the top of the can through which spray is ejected upon reciprocation of the piston, an absorbent element for holding liquid adjacent said spray nozzle and in position relative to the nozzle to supply liquid for atomizing therethrough, a chamber in which the absorbent eiement is housed, said chamber being apertured to provide communication between the can contents and the absorbent material to allow saturation of the absorbent element by the can contents, and pressure-operated valve means located to be operative over the aperture in the chamber for permitting the liquid to gain access to the said absorbent element during piston reciprocation and preventing liquid from spurting through the spray nozzle under manual lexure of the walls of the can.

7. A can for containing insecticide or other liquid adapted to be sprayed, a cylinder secured to the bottom of the can and extending up wardly within the can and surrounded by the liquid contents of the can, a piston mounted for reciprocation in the cylinder, means located exteriorly of the can for manually reciprocating said piston, spaced apertured members located at the upper end of the cylinder, the outer one of said members having a portion disposed on the outside of the can and a portion located Within the can, absorbent material located between said members and inv position relative to the outer apertured member to supply liquid for atomizing through the aperture therein, a communication between the absorbent material and the interior of the can, said communication being located in the portion of the outer memn ber that is disposed within the body of the can, pressure operated valve means located within the can and operative between said absorbent material and the interior of the can to open or close said communication according to piston reciprocation or the imposition of manual pressure on the walls of the can, whereby said absorbent material may become liquid-saturated by the can contents during piston reciprocation while the can is tilted, the spaced apertured members being provided with disaligned air blast and spray openings respectively.

JOI-IN FITCH. 

